生平

384年，堂兄翟斌被後燕所殺後，燕將慕容農又進攻翟遼所在的魯口（今河南饒陽），翟遼兵敗被逼退屯無極（今河北無極縣），慕容農則屯於稾城（今河北槁城）繼續施壓。不久，慕容麟前來會合慕容農，一同進攻翟遼，翟遼大敗，於是單騎逃奔繼任丁零部落首領的翟真。

385年，翟真被屬下鮮于乞所殺，翟遼逃奔東晉黎陽（今河南濬縣），受黎陽太守滕恬之寵信。但因為滕恬之喜歡打獵而且並親待士卒，翟遼於是給予士兵利益以獲得他們歡心。386年，翟遼乘滕恬之南攻鹿鳴城（今河南滑縣東北）的機會，關閉了黎陽城門，滕恬之不得入而東奔鄄城（今山東鄄城），更被翟遼追擒，正式據黎陽叛晉。當時晉豫州刺史朱序派秦膺及童斌連同淮泗諸郡共同討伐，但未能討平。不久泰山太守張願也叛歸翟遼。後翟遼屢度侵擾東晉。

387年，燕魏郡太守齊涉叛燕，張願當時與齊涉聯結，並招翟遼。後燕出兵擊退張願，殺齊涉。後燕帝慕容垂見此，認為翟遼反覆於三個國家之間，不能不討伐, 於是親征黎陽。當時慕容垂派了慕容楷為前鋒都督，翟遼部眾皆燕、趙一帶來的人，知慕容楷來都相繼歸附，翟遼恐懼之下遣使請降。翟遼於是被後燕任命為徐州牧，封河南公。惟不久翟遼復叛，搶掠清河及平原二郡。

次年（388年），翟遼復向後燕謝罪；慕容垂以其數度反覆，因此與翟遼斷絕關係。翟遼遂自稱「魏天王」，改元建光，設立文武百官，並遷往滑台（今河南滑縣），史稱其政權為翟魏。翟遼曾攻東晉洛陽及滎陽，更在建光三年（390年）趁朱序與西燕交戰時圖謀進攻洛陽，逼令朱序還軍，終令東晉向翟遼出兵，劉牢之於同年八月先後在鄄城及滑台擊敗翟釗及翟遼，張願更向東晉投降。

建光四年(391年)，翟遼去世，其子翟釗繼位。

　注釋　

Early career

Zhai Liao, a royal family member of the West Ding Ling, followed the horde migrate from Kazakhstan into China, his cousin Zhai Bin (翟斌), khan of the horde, who wage war against Former Qin's emperor Fu Jiān in 383, supported Later Yan's founding emperor Murong Chui when Murong Chui rebelled against Former Qin as well and established Later Yan. However, in 384, as Murong Chui sieged the important city Yecheng, which was defended by Fu Jiān's son Fu Pi, Zhai Bin, seeing that Murong Chui was unable to capture the city quickly, began to consider other options. When, in particular, he requested a prime ministerial title from Murong Chui and was refused, Zhai Bin prepared to ally with Fu Pi instead, but his plan was discovered, and he was ambushed, along with his brothers Zhai Tan (翟檀) and Zhai Min (翟敏). It was apparently at this time that Zhai Liao and his cousin Zhai Zhen (翟真) fled with some of their Dingling troops and resisted Later Yan's subsequent campaigns to take the territory north of and around the Yellow River. In late 384, Zhai Liao was defeated by Murong Chui's sons Murong Lin and Murong Nong and forced to flee to his cousin Zhai Zhen. In 385, Zhai Zhen's subordinate Xianyu Qi (鮮于乞) assassinated him and attempted to take over, but the Zhai family struck back and killed him; another cousin of Zhai Liao's, Zhai Cheng (翟成), succeeded Zhai Zhen, but many of their subordinates surrendered to Later Yan. In fall 385, Murong Chui attacked Zhai Cheng, instead, Murong Chui had huge casualties and lose the advantage of the battle, but Zhai Cheng's subordinate Xianyu De (鮮于得) assassinated Zhai Cheng and surrendered his army. His surrendered Dingling troops were largely slaughtered.

However, Zhai Liao escaped the massacre and sought refuge with Teng Tianzhi (滕恬之), Jin's governor of Liyang Commandery (黎陽, roughly modern Hebi, Henan). Teng trusted Zhai Liao greatly, and Zhai Liao, because Teng's overdedication to hunting and ignorance of his soldiers' needs, began to develop relationships with soldiers with his popular among them. In 386, when Teng was on a campaign, he commissioned Zhai Liao to keep guard of Liyang; instead, Zhai Liao succeeded Liyang after Teng was ambushed during campaign. During the next two years, Zhai Liao begin to gather his lost DingLing subjects, his horde slowly reformed, same time, he repeatedly tried to attack Jin, but was repelled in his efforts, and he apparently entered into an alliance with Western Yan's emperor Murong Yong. In 387, Murong Chui betrayed alliance, attacked Zhai Liao, and many of Zhai Liao's subordinates suicided after month without food and water during the siege. Zhai Liao led reinforcements to crush the siege and defeated the Yan army. For peace treaty, Murong Chui created him the Duke of Henan.

Establishment of Wei

In winter 387, Zhai Liao repudiated allegiance to Later Yan and attacked Later Yan's Qinghe (清河, roughly modern Xingtai, Hebei) and Pingyuan (平原, roughly modern Dezhou, Shandong) Commanderies. In spring 388, he sent his subordinate Sui Qiong (眭瓊) to apologize to Murong Chui, but Murong Chui no longer believed him, and killed Sui, sent his head back, to show a great disrespect and that he was not interested. Same year, Zhai Liao adopted Chinese tradition, went on the throne, supported by his horde, his XianBei and Chinese army, created the first Ding Ling Empire in China, and titled Wei Empire. He himself had been titled the Khagan or Heavenly King. He also started new era name and established an imperial government, replaced ancient Siberian ruling structure with Chinese structure. He then moved the capital to Huatai (滑台, in modern Anyang, Henan). In 389, he captured Jin's Yingyang Commandery (滎陽, roughly modern Zhengzhou, Henan). He also sent his general Gu Ti (故堤) to pretend to surrender to the Later Yan Prince of Lelang, Murong Wen (慕容溫) and assassinate Murong Wen, although that maneuver yielded him no territory as Gu's forces were quickly destroyed by Murong Nong. In fall 390, Jin general Liu Laozhi (劉牢之) attacked Zhai Liao, capturing Juancheng (鄄城, in modern Puyang, Henan), forcing Zhai Liao's son Zhai Zhao, who was in charge of the city, to flee, and then defeated Zhai Liao near his capital Huatai, but did not destroy Wei.

In 391, Zhai Liao died. He was succeeded by his son Zhai Zhao.